Microsoft took the wraps off its Surface Windows 8 tablet on Monday at a last-minute special event in Los Angeles, marking the tech monolith's entrance into the iPad-dominated tablet market.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, showed off the tablet computer based on the company's new Windows 8 operating system he called "the new Surface," reports Engadget.

After giving a brief history of Microsoft-branded hardware like the venerable mouse and keyboard, Ballmer introduced the new device, likening it to the Xbox 360 in that it has a strong synthesis of software and hardware that push each other to new limits.

Microsoft's President of the Windows and Windows Live Division Steven Sinofsky proceeded to show off the 10.6-inch multi-touch tablet, which features a magnesium enclosure called "VaporMg" with built-in stand, dual MIMO arrays, an optically-bonded proprietary display with Corning's Gorilla Glass 2 and a variety of input ports. The unit is also coated with vapor-deposited magnesium (PVD) to avoid scratching.

Source: Engadget

Surface will be sold in two distinct incarnations with one touting an Ivy Bridge i5 processor while the other will feature a low-energy NVIDIA-made ARM cortex CPU. The Intel model, called Surface for Windows 8 Pro, will weigh in at 1.9lbs at 13.5mm thick and feature a 10.6-inch 1920-by-1080 pixel ClearType full HD display. Input and output for the higher-tier Surface is handled by USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort and an microSDXC card reader.

The thinner ARM cortex version will be released under the Surface for Windows RT moniker and will come in at a trim 1.5lbs and 9.8mm thick but bumps specs down to a 1280-by-720 pixel screen. Handling the heat put out by the Intel chip is what Microsoft calls "perimeter venting" or a series of integrated vents encircling the edge of the bezel, which itself is beveled. While the Windows RT model doesn't carry the high-powered connectivity as its bigger brother, it still manages a microSD slot, USB 2.0 and Micro HD Video.

Steven Sinofsky with from Surface special event. | Source: Engadget

Accessories for both units include the "Touch Cover" which is a full multi-touch keyboard complete with arrow buttons that changes the color of Surface's screen to the color of the cover when attached. Much like Apple's Smart Cover, the Touch Cover also turns the device on and off presumably through use of magnets. The Surface "Type Cover" accessory brings physical switch-type keys and a clickable trackpad, though the part adds 5mm of girth to the tablet.

Source: Microsoft

The Surface supports palm-blocking Digital Ink technology and can mark up PDFs and other supported documents with a digitizer, though the feature seems to be limited to the Intel model.

It is unclear what company is manufacturing the tablet for Microsoft, though the product itself looks to be a branded device with prominent Windows logos adorning the screen bezel and the back kick-stand.

The debut of the ARM-based Windows RT version of Surface is set to coincide with the launch of Windows 8 and will be available in 32GB and 64GB flavors. Pricing will be in-line with competing ARM tablets. The Intel Ivy Bridge i5-based Windows Pro Surface is slated to follow about three months later and will be sold in 64GB and 128GB capacities with prices comparable to Ultrabook PCs.

Hmmm... USB 2.0, certainly not the latest in tech. That is so like MS to do it only partially right. "VaporMag," is this a hint of something that will also not ever make it to market? The product only weights 1.5 pounds... it that before the batteries are included, or is this a desk unit?

"That (the) world is moving so quickly that iOS is already amongst the older mobile operating systems in active development today." — The Verge

Hmmm... USB 2.0, certainly not the latest in tech. That is so like MS to do it only partially right. "VaporMag," is this a hint of something that will also not ever make it to market? The product only weights 1.5 pounds... it that before the batteries are included, or is this a desk unit?

This looks thicker than 9.3mm, if it really is that thin and has an Ivy Bridge i5 CPU, then an even lower powered Core i5 CPU is going to require at least 10 times the wattage (than an ARM based CPU). So the battery couldn't possibly be any bigger than in the new iPad. So does this mean it'll have a battery life of about an hour (less than 1 hour)?

Everyone on the tech blogs is drooling over this and calling Apple's smart cover now a dumb cover. But I wonder what it will be like to type on this thing. The CW is that Apple needs to be afraid of this, but I'm thinking Microsoft screwed over all the OEM's committed to Windows 8 tablets a they'll be competing with Microsoft's own tablet. And Google as Android tablets are probably dead now.

Everyone on the tech blogs is drooling over this and calling Apple's smart cover now a dumb cover. But I wonder what it will be like to type on this thing. The CW is that Apple needs to be afraid of this, but I'm thinking Microsoft screwed over all the OEM's committed to Windows 8 tablets a they'll be competing with Microsoft's own tablet. And Google as Android tablets are probably dead now.

Typing on it can't be any worse than an on-screen keyboard, so at the least it'll be an improvement. How much we have yet to see. But it also won't eat up screen real-estate, which is a nice perk.

This is EXACTLY what I have been looking for to replace my MacBook Air.

There are two models, one with an ARM processor (Basic) and one with an Intel Core i5 processor (Pro). The ARM one seems to come with the soft, squidgy keyboard cover while the Intel one includes a more rigid plastic keyboard cover so it transforms into something that feels much more like a laptop.

The basic model has Windows RT and a 1280x720 display, while the Pro model has Windows 8 Pro and a 1920x1080 display.

A lot of people are going to look at this and wonder why they need both an iPad and a MacBook when they can have one device that does both things for much less money.

The fact that this is x86 is very intriguing to me. If it will run win32 apps under that Metro interface, I'll be all over it. I have an app (SAC) that needs x86 windows. I don't need battery life (two hours is sufficient). I do need win32/x86 compatibility, though (which the iPad, obviously) cannot give me. Don't need USB, HDMI, expandable memory card, or even much memory on the tablet itself.

Granted, I'm a special case (especially around here). But if it can run Win32 (and that's questionable at this point), it will be perfect for me. About the only thing I could ask for beyond that is a matte screen that could be read in direct sunlight (which I suspect isn't gonna happen on this device).

Thanks for the info, I was just reading the article in this thread. That makes more sense, perhaps twice the battery space in 13.5 mm (minus all the other parts), so perhaps it'll have a battery life of almost 2 hours?